Range Nw. Mississippi west to ne. Oklahoma, north to sw. Indiana, c. Illinois, Iowa, and extreme se. South Dakota. Intergrades with Scarlet Kingsnake and Eastern Milk Snake from sc. Kentucky south to n. Alabama.

Discussion There are currently nine recognized subspecies of the Common Milk Snake. Some are dull gray with brownish blotches, while others, including the Red Milk Snake, Scarlet Kingsnake, and New Mexico Milk Snake, have a bright ringed pattern reminiscent of the venomous coral snakes. A major difference between coral snakes and their imitators is that the red and yellow rings meet on the coral snake, while in the milk snakes, the red and yellow rings are separated by black.